On a scorching Saturday in September, a record 105,213 fans packed into Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium to watch the Longhorns nearly pull off a massive upset against No. 1 Alabama.

For a stadium that’s hardly been one of the more intimidating atmospheres in college football in  recent years, the environment on Sept. 10 suggested that support for head coach Steve Sarkisian and his program was growing. Even members of the Crimson Tide praised the atmosphere at DKR.

“To be honest … this is probably the loudest environment I’ve played in,” Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. said. “Probably the hardest game I’ve played in since I’ve been in college football. Their fans were super loud. They had a lot of energy.”

Texas ultimately fell short 20-19, but optimism surrounding the remainder of the season remained high despite starting quarterback Quinn Ewers’ injury that has sidelined him since the Alabama game. Then came an uninspiring, upset loss to Texas Tech on the road in Lubbock to open up Big 12 play. 

Despite the hiccups, freshman government major Jessi Gutierrez is still optimistic about where Sarkisian’s program is heading. 

“(Texas has) a lot of momentum,” Gutierrez said. “If Quinn Ewers is gonna be back, I feel like that’s even more exciting.” 

ESPN reported Thursday that Ewers will return from his injury this Saturday and start for the Longhorns against Oklahoma, having practiced without limitations this week.

“We’ve been pushing him for the last month,” Sarkisian said Thursday. “He’s made really good progress, not only with his health, but I think schematically as well.”

When redshirt freshman Ewers sprained the sternoclavicular joint in his non-throwing shoulder in the second quarter against Alabama, he was initially expected to be out for four to six weeks, according to ESPN. In his absence, sophomore Hudson Card has started each of Texas’ previous three games against UTSA, Texas Tech and West Virginia. 

While Iliana Vigil comes from a family of Oklahoma fans, the freshman biochemistry major said she’s watched the Longhorns for many years and has seen improvement. Notably, Sarkisian’s recruiting makes her think Texas is on the rise heading into Saturday. 

“I’ve seen a major change over the couple of years that I’ve been watching, and I feel like (Texas is) heading in the right direction,” Vigil said. “All these new recruits … are really going to make an impact on future generations for us and for our team.” 

Sarkisian brought in the fifth-ranked recruiting class in 2022 with several highly touted offensive linemen, two of whom — freshmen Cole Hutson and Kelvin Banks Jr. — are already starters. In addition, Ohio State transfers Ryan Watts and Quinn Ewers have each made immediate impacts. 

Texas’ 2023 recruiting class also currently ranks fifth nationally. Headlined by quarterback Arch Manning, the top-ranked recruit in the nation, the class also includes five-star playmakers in wide receiver Johntay Cook II and safety Derek Williams. 

After the Longhorns’ upset in Lubbock, Texas responded by convincingly beating West Virginia 38-20 at home. Now, Texas heads into the first unranked edition of the Red River Rivalry since 1998, with the Sooners slumping after two straight losses to Kansas State and TCU.

With the Sooners starting 0–2 in conference play for just the second time since 1998, Gutierrez is confident that Texas is the better of the two programs at the moment. A Texas win would be its first over Oklahoma since 2018 and just the fourth since 2009.

“(Oklahoma’s) program is a mess,” Gutierrez said. “If we are looking at where the program is on paper, we’re the winners.”